Switching socket or connector.



G. C. KNAUFF. SWITCHING SOCKET 0R CONNECTOR. APPLICATION FlLEn 1350.12. 1913.

1,136,681, n Patented A111220, 1915.

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'l ,i f t/// ll/ 'GEORGE C. KNAUFF, 0F GHICAGO, ILLINIS.

SWITCHING SOCKET 0R CONNECTGR.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE C. KNAUFF, citizen of the United States, residin A at Chicago, in the county 'of Cook and tate of Illinois, have'invented certain' new and useful Improvements in Switching Sockets vor Connectors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will en; able others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to sockets or connectors and more particularly to a plug and socket combination suitable for use with automobile lighting circuits. It has been customary heretofore to .equip sockets and plugs of thiskind with circuit terminals contacting continuously with each other when the plug is coupled to the casing, thereby permitting the circuit to be opened only by detaching the plug from the casing.

The prime object of my invention is to provide a simple, compact and effective construction which will permit the circuit to be opened without detaching the plug (or one of the terminal-carrying elements) from the casing by merely rotating one ofthe terminal-carrying elements with respect to the otheror with respect to the casing.-

Other'objects are to provide a construction in which a `single spring will coact with the contacting parts to insure a good electrical connection when the plug is in the positio in which it closes the circuit, and by which `t esame sprin will coact with another portion of the p ug when the latter is in the circuit-opening .position,to maintain Athe plug and socket securely coupled.

Other objects will appear from the accompanying drawings, in which- -Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a lamp socket and plug embodying my invention. Fi s. 2 and 3 are transverse sections throug Fig. 1 along the lines 2 2 and 3 3 respectively. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation of the right hand end portion of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through an alternative embodiment of my invention. Fig. 6 is a transverse section through Fig. 5 along the line 6 6.

My invention is equally applicable to lamp sockets or wire connectors equipped .with movable plugs, and may be embodied in a number of' different forms possessing sub# stantially equal advantages, as will be dis- Spe'cvicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

Application tiled December l2, 1913. Serial No. 806,239.

c losed hereafter. Fig. 1 shows my invent1o1 1 as applied to a lamp socket having a caslng 1 equipped at one end with bayonet slots 2 adapted to receive and engage lateral projections 3 uponthe base of a lam 4 to couple the said lamp to the casing. ounted within the casing is an insulating cylinder 5, carrying axially thereof a metal cylin der 6 equipped with a plunger 7 projecting from the forward end thereof, the tip of sald plunger contacting with the axially disposed terminal 8 of the lamp 4. The cylinder 5 1s preferably rigidly secured y within the casing 1 by a suitable means such as a pin 9. I-Ioused within the cylinder 6 and bearing at its respective ends against the slotted head 10 of the said cylinder and against the plunger 7 is a compression spring 11, which spring continually presses the said plunger forwardly of the cylinder and thereby forces the plunger into contact with the terminal 8 of the lamp. The rear end 10 of the cylinder 6 is equipped with a head 12 extending radially of the casing, the said radial extension having a perforation slidingly fitting the stem 13 of a plunger equipped withA ahead 14 sliding within a bore in the insulating body 5, thesaid bore being disposed longitudinally of the said body and radially outward of the cylinder 6. The rear end of the casing 1 is equipped with bayonet slots adapted to receive and interlock projections 15 upon a plug 16, each of said slots being equipped with a pair of socket portions 17 separated from each other at a considerable distance circumferentially of the casing and connected by a slot portion 18 extending circumferentially of the casing. It will be evident from Fig. 4 that the said circumferential slot portion will permit the projection 15 to be interlocked with either of the sockets 17 by partially rotating the plug 16 with respect to the casing, so that the said plug may readily b e coupled to the casing in either one of two rotationally separated positions. Mounted within the plug 16 is the terminal 19 of a Wire 20 forming one terminus of a circuit, the said terminal 19 being connected at its forward end to a substantially rectangular plate 21 disposed transversely of the casing 1 upon the forward surface of the plug 16, the said plate 21 being preferably liept from .rotating With respect to the said plug by having prongs 22 bent from the plate and forcibly indented into the rubber or other material of which the plug 16 1s made. The

plate 21 is so disposed with reference to the bayonet slots at the adjacent end of the casing and with reference to the plunger 14 that the said plunger will bear against one .end of the said plate, as shown in Fig. 1, when the plug 16 is coupled to the casing with the projection 15 in one of the said socket portions of the bayonet catch formations at that end of the socket. Upon rotating the plug to bring the projection 15 into interlocking relation with the other socket 17, the tip of the plunger 14 will be brought out of engagement with the plate A21, so that this tip will bear against the in- Asulating body of the plunger 16, thereby opening the circuit. To insure a good electrical contact between the plunger and the plate 21 when the plug is in one of its said interlocked positions, and to insure a forclble interlocking of the plug and the casingr when the plug is in either of its said coupled positions, I preferably provide a spring 23 in the perforation housing the plunger 14, which spring will continually press the said plunger 14 rearwardly into engagelnent with either the plate 21 or the exposed forward surface portion of the plug 16. The circuit 'be completed from the wire 20 through the terminal 19, contact plate 21, plunger 13, radial plate12, cylinder 10 and plunger 7 current being carried to the other terminal of the lamp by the contact of the shell 35 of the lamp base with the casing 1 of the socket, to which casing one terminal of the circuit is. grounded as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Instead of positioning the plungers 7 and 14 in two separate cylinders each housing a compression spring and having their tips out of alinement longitudinally of the socket, I can produce the same eil'ect by mounting both plungers in a single cylinder positioned at an angle to the axis of the socket and interposing a single spring between the two plungers, as in Fig. 5. In so doing, the terminal or conducting member contacting with the tip of the plunger mounted 'in the other insulating member may be radially enlarged as in Fig. 5. Thus,

Fig. 5 shows a separable' wire connector having a wire-terminal 24 mountedaxially of an insulating body 25, the said body being concaved at its rear surface. Bearin against the said rear surface and threade to the rear end of the terminal 24 is a curved contact plate 26 equipped with beveled edge portions-27 for enabling the adjacent ti of the plungers 28 to ride up on the face o the sai Contact plate. In the embodiment of Fig. 5, the plunger 28 is mounted in a terminal 29 disposed at an angle to the axis of the insulating plug 30 housing the said terto the axial terminal of the lamp will thenA minal, thereby enabling this. type of construction to be effected with a relativelyv small diameter of plug and casing.

While I have shown and described the casing of my socket or connector as equipped with slot formations including entrance portions 38 permitting the separation of the rotatable plug from the casing of theV socket or connector, I do not wish to be limited to such a provision. The entrance portion might be omitted as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4 thereby connecting the plug permanently to the structure while still permitting of its operation as a switching means for opening and closing the circuit. Neither do I wish to be limited to other details of the construction herein disclosed, such as the pictured type of the formations upon one of the terminal-carrying members which coact with formations upon another portion of the socket tolock the circuit terminals against relative rotation, as such details might be varied in many ways without departingfrom the spirit of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a socket and plug combination, a

plug, a `circuit terminal carried thereby and lwardly of the said plug; one' of the said terminals equipped with an extension substantially radial of the casing, the otherthereof presenting a tip disposed at one side of the axis of the casing and contacting with the said radial extension upon the other terminal when the plug and casing are in one of their said coupled positions, the said disposition of the contacting portions of the said terminals causing the same to be brought out of contacting relation when the plug is rotated to th other' of coupled positions.

2. In a socket and plug combination, a plug, a circuit terminal carried thereby and projecting beyond the forward end of the plug; a casing equipped with means for coupling the plug thereto in either of two rotationally separated positions, the said coupling means permitting the plug to be rotated relatively to the casing to m'ove thel plug from one to the other of its said positions; and a second circuit terminal mounted within and insulated from thev casing forwardly of the said plug; one of the said terminals equipped with an extension substantially radial of the casing, the other thereof presenting a tip disposed at one side its said of the axis of the casing and contacting with 1.30

tions.

3. In a socket and plug combination, a plug, a circuit terminal carried thereby and projecting beyond the forward end of the plug; a casing equipped with means for coupling the plug thereto in either of two rotationally separated positions, the said coupling means permitting the plug to be rotated relatively to the casing to move the plug from one to the otherof its said positions; and a second circuit terminal mounted f within and insulated from the casing substantially axially thereof and forwardly of the said plug, the rear end thereof equipped with an extension substantially radial of the casing; the rst named circuit terminal being disposed at an angle to the common axis of the plug and the casing, the forward end of the said terminal contacting with the said extension upon the other terminal when the plug is in one of its said coupled positions; the said langular disposition of" the first named terminal causing the forward end thereof to be moved out of contact with the rear end of the other terminal upon rotation of the plug'to the other of its coupled positions, thereby opening the circuit` 4. In asocket and plugl combination, a plug, a circuit terminal carried thereby and projecting beyond the forward end of the plug; a casing equipped with means for coupling the plug thereto in either of two rotationally separated positions, the said coupling means permitting the plug to be rotated relatively tothe casing to move the plug from one to the other of its said positions; a second circuit terminal mounted within and insulated from the. casing substantially axially thereof and forwardly of the said plug, the rear end thereof equipped with an extension substantially radial of the casing; the first named circuit terminal being disposed at an angle to the common axis ofthe plug and the casing, the forward end of the said terminal contactingwith the said extension upon the other terminal when L the plug is in one of its said coupled positions; the said angular disposition of the irst named terminal causing the forward end thereof to be moved out of contact with the rear end ofthe other terminal upon ro-- tation of the plug to the other of its coupled positions,thereby opening the circuit; and

spring means associated with one of the said terminals and pressing the said ends of the termmals into forcible4 impingement when positions.

the plugI is in the rst of its said coupledA 5. In a socket and plug'combination, -a'

plug, a circuit terminal carried thereby'and projecting beyond the forwardend of\the plug; a casing equipped with, means for coupling the plug`thereto in either of two rotationally separated positions, the 'said coupling means permitting the plug to be rotated relatively to the casing to move the plug from one tothe other of its said positions; and a second circuit terminal mounted within and insulated from the casing forwardly of the' said plug; the adjacent ends of the said terminals contacting withI each ,other when the plug is in one of its said coupled positions, onel of the said terminals being disposed at an angle with the common axis of the casing and plug, thesaid angular disposition of the last named terminal causing the said adjacent ends of the terminals I to be brought out of contact with each other'- when the plug is moved to the other of its said-.coupled positions.

6. In a socket andl plug combination, a plug, a circuit .terminal carried thereby and projecting beyond the forward end of thev plug; a casing equipped with means for coupling the plug thereto in either of two rtationally separated positions, the said coupling means permitting the plug to be rotated relatively .to the casing to move the plug from one to the other of its said positions; a second circuit terminal mounted within and insulated from the casing forwardly of the said plug; the adjacent ends of the said terminals contacting with each other when the plug is in one of its said coupled positions, one of the said terminals being disposed at an angle with the common axis of the casing and plug, the said angular disposition of the last named terminal causing the said adjacent ends of the terminals to be brought out of contact with each other when the plug is moved to the other of its said coupled positions; and spring means associated with one of the said terminals and pressing the said adjacent ends thereof into forcible impingement whenl the said ends are in their saidv'relatively contacting position. In testimony whereof I have Isigned my name .inpresence of two subscribing-wit- 

